Alonzo J. Edgerton Biography

	This biography appears on page 519 in "History of Minnehaha
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at
	http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm


EDGERTON, ALONZO J., was born at Rome, N. Y., in 1827, and was educated at the 
Lowville academy at Lowville, N. Y., and at the Wesleyan university at Middletown, 
Conn. In 1850 he came to Dodge county, Minn., where he engaged in the practice of 
law.  In August, 1861, he raised Company B, 10th regiment of Minnesota infantry, 
and was elected its captain.  He served in the Indian campaigns of 1862-63, and 
then went south with his regiment, where he was in active service during the 
remainder of the civil war.  He was mustered out in 1867, but before that time 
commanded a brigade during the riots New Orleans.  He was a member of the first 
legislature of the in State of Minnesota, and from 1871 to 1874 was railroad 
commissioner. In 1876 was one of the Hayes electors from Minnesota.  In 1881 
was elected United States senator to fill the vacancy created by Senator 
Windom's accepting the office of secretary of the treasury in President 
Garfield's cabinet.  In December, 1881, was appointed chief justice of the 
supreme court of the Territory of Dakota, and removed from Minnesota to 
Yankton, Dakota.  Was elected president of the South Dakota constitutional 
convention in 1885 and 1889, and was for a short time president of the 
state board of regents.  November 19, 1889, was appointed United States 
district judge of the district of South Dakota and held this office until 
his death, which occurred on the 9th day of August, 1896.  He resided in 
Yankton four years, Mitchell four years, and Sioux Falls six years.  Judge 
Edgerton was a sagacious politician, an honest, upright judge, and enjoyed 
the absolute confidence and the highest esteem of his fellow citizens.